Why Conor McGregor needs the fight at UFC 264 more than Dustin Poirier
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier have set tongues wagging and turned the MMA world on its axis after a series of unfriendly tweets over the last couple of days.
It began with McGregor predicting his victory in their upcoming trilogy bout at UFC 264. Poirier's reply stated McGregor also predicted a donation to The Good Fight Foundation, something which never happened. What ensued was a battle of words on Twitter which escalated very quickly, to say the least. In the most controversial tweet Conor McGregor made on the matter, he claimed he's not going to fight Dustin Poirier on July 10.
While it's no surprise that Conor Mcgregor is the biggest name in combat sport today and a personal favorite of UFC president Dana White, 'Notorious' probably isn't in the same position he was a few years ago. McGregor has a true rags-to-riches story, one that is inspirational and will be told for years to come.
However, after amassing said riches, his activity in the octagon dropped immensely. Conor McGregor earned his notoriety by trash-talking his opponents and fighting in the featherweight division, where he went 7-0 in the UFC. After conquering the division and winning the belt, he was awarded a direct title shot at lightweight against Eddie Alvarez, without ever having competed in that division. He beat 'The Underground King' at UFC 205 to become the first champ-champ in the company's history.
Following that, Conor McGregor shifted his focus to a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather, in what was one of the highest-grossing PPV events in history and a payday of almost $100 million for the Irishman. During this time, he was inactive in the UFC and subsequently stripped of both his belts.
McGregor made a comeback in 2018 to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 and was completely dominated. He then disappeared for over a year once again. 'Notorious' returned in 2020 to fight Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in the welterweight division, finishing the bout in 40 seconds. While the win was impressive, it didn't really do much to establish Conor McGregor's dominance in MMA because 'Cowboy' Cerrone was already past his prime.
'Notorious' made his next appearance at UFC 257 where he fought Dustin Poirier at lightweight, suffering the first knockout loss of his career. While many believe Conor McGregor's best weight class is the 155-pound lightweight division, his record disagrees. He is currently 1-2 at lightweight. He won his first fight against Alvarez but lost both consecutive bouts against Nurmagomedov and Poirier respectively. Conor McGregor himself has stated that he would like to focus his attention on the lightweight division. He needs to fight Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 to maintain his claim of still being an elite fighter.
It's no secret that Conor McGregor is the biggest draw in the UFC and the biggest money fight for any athlete in the company. Dustin Poirier passed up a fight for the vacant lightweight title against Charles Oliveira, choosing the trilogy bout against Conor McGregor instead. This drew mixed reactions from the MMA community; some saw it as a smart move while others ridiculed him for choosing a big payday over the title.
Dustin Poirier has one of the best records at lightweight in the UFC, beating some of the biggest names in the most comprehensive ways. He is currently ranked as the number one lightweight in the world, even claiming to be an uncrowned champion after defeating McGregor at UFC 257. In the blockbuster rematch, 'The Diamond' showcased his own versatile array of skills while also highlighting some gaping holes in McGregor's game.
Why Dustin Poirier is Conor McGregor's best bet right now:
Conor McGregor is referred to as the PPV king of the UFC and has largely called his own shots. But apart from Dustin Poirier, his options in the lightweight division are far and few between.
Since his tweet declaring the fight on July 10 is off, a long list of fighters have reached out to say they're willing to step in and fight. It's not surprising, considering the payday that comes with fighting Conor McGregor. But do these matchups make sense for 'Notorious'?
Everyone in the top five is currently booked, barring Justin Gaethje who has called for a fight with Conor McGregor in the past. While 'The Highlight' does tend to get hit, he possesses some of the heaviest hands and deadliest kicks in the division. He is also a former NCAA Division one wrestler, who has thus far only used his wrestling to defend takedowns and keep the fight standing. In a fight with McGregor, he could take the Irishman to the ground and unleash some vicious ground and pound that we haven't seen before from Gaethje, but know he is entirely capable of.
Gaethje has also referred to McGregor as a loudmouth, stating he loved watching 'Notorious' get knocked out at the hands of Dustin Poirier. While Gaethje's boxing may not be as good as Poirier's, he definitely has heavier hands and has seen the holes in McGregor's game exposed by Khabib Nurmagomedov and 'The Diamond'. You can be sure that he will look to take advantage of the same flaws.
Anybody ranked outside the top five in the lightweight division doesn't do much for McGregor's legacy, because RDA is toward the back end of his career and Dan Hooker is coming off a loss to Michael Chandler. Islam Makhachev would make for a very interesting opponent, but he is currently ranked eleventh and we don't know if McGregor is ready to enter the octagon with another Dagestani after what happened last time. Tony Ferguson is ranked number five but is in poor form and is booked to fight Beneil Dariush in May.
Dustin Poirier may have picked the money fight over the belt, but he has said on more than one occasion now that he's not just a fighter; fighting is something he does in addition to other things, most notably his charity The Good Fight Foundation and his other businesses. 'The Diamond' is irrefutably one of the best 155lbers in the world at the moment. If Conor McGregor wants to further his legacy and better his 1-2 record at lightweight, Dustin Poirier is the best way to do that, albeit the most difficult one.